Fan-forced positive pressure breathing devices, commonly referred to as powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs), and other respiratory components are used by first responders, military, and other emergency response units to manage respiratory exposure. These and other respiratory components are also used in various industrial applications to manage exposure to gases, vapors, and particulate matter. A respiratory system may include a breathing mask, or other suitable hood, helmet, or hardtop, having an inlet for filtered air and defining a zone of breathable air for a user. Such systems are employed to continually supply positive pressure to the breathable air zone.
Respiratory system components, and particularly PAPR components, have been connected to a belt threaded through slots in the housing of the respiratory component. The user wears the belt supporting the respiratory components about their waist, and the load is normally at the rear of the belt. In addition to carrying the respiratory component, the user also wears or carries additional equipment, such as a hood, and other components of the respiratory system, which may also be connected to the belt.
The respiratory system components generally should be securely connected to the belt, such that the components do not become inadvertently separated from the belt during use. In addition, the attachment mechanism should facilitate ease of attachment and detachment of the respiratory component to and from the belt.
The respiratory system and its components may be exposed to hazardous environments, which cause contamination to those components, including any related attachment mechanisms for securing the respiratory component to the belt. Discarding contaminated equipment is costly, and thus the respiratory components may be capable of decontamination after each use.
Various designs have been proposed for providing a respiratory system including a respiratory system component connected to a waist-mounted belt.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,120 (Taylor et al.), describes a respiratory component mounting assembly including a belt, a respiratory component, and a mounting clip for mounting the respiratory component to the belt. The belt and respiratory component each include at least two spaced apart clip openings, and the mounting clip includes an intermediate portion and two spaced apart free ends. The intermediate portion of the mounting clip is received within both of the clip openings of the belt and the free ends of the mounting clip are received in the clip openings of the second respiratory component for securing the belt and respiratory component together.